ABSTRACT
Metaphors can be useful in coming to terms with the daily lives of women who have been diagnosed with chronic illness. They can assist us in understanding what it is like not only to be healthy, but also to be ill. Yet we must carefully consider the implications of using metaphors. If we do not, then our understanding will be distorted. What we were once interested in becomes an extension of the metaphor, no longer an entity unto itself. In this chapter, we want to work through the implications of applying the metaphors of journey and rites of passage to our understanding of the daily lives of women with chronic illness.
